Fourche Creek Discovery Day

Editor's Note: This event is from 2016. 

Did you know that Little Rock is sitting on one of the nation’s largest urban wetlands? Chances are you’ve driven over it or walked alongside one of its many tributaries without even knowing what a valuable resource it is for the capital city—environmentally, economically and recreationally.

The Fourche Creek Watershed, which is made up of six major streams and nine tributaries, is responsible for the drainage and filtering of nearly 75% of Little Rock’s surface water and for holding up to a billion gallons of floodwater during heavy rains. Fourche Creek, which runs right through downtown Little Rock, is home to more than 50 species of fish, 300-year-old cypress and many types of migratory birds. 17 city parks are touched by the creek and its tributaries, which include Rock Creek, Otter Creek and Brodie Creek.

On Saturday, Oct. 29, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Friends of Fourche Creek, a coalition led by the Arkansas branch of the National Audubon Society, will host Fourche Creek Discovery Day, a half-day cleanup program that offers so much more than trash bags and gloves. The FOFC are working toward a vision that one day, this urban waterway—which many consider undervalued and underutilized—will be a flourishing Fourche Creek Preserve and Water Trail, where people can hike, float and fish right in the heart of the city.

In addition to showing the Fourche a little love with some cleanup work, Fourche Creek Discovery Day is designed to introduce attendees to the wildlife and recreational value of the waterway with opportunities for guided hikes and floats, geocaching, fishing, kids’ activities and more.

The program starts in Interstate Park, which offers one of several urban put-ins for floating the creek. Lunch will be provided for volunteers. Participants should feel free to bring a canoe, kayak or flat-bottomed boat. And if you intend to float, don’t forget a life vest! For more information, visit the Audubon Arkansas website.